


Just Good Business

by The Mighty Oz (orphan_account)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Journalism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ballroom Dancing, Dances, Eventual Smut, Fereldan Balls, Interns & Internships, Manipulation, Modern Thedas, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Plot, Politics, Rare Pairings, Slow Build, ongoing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-04-23 20:51:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4891867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/The%20Mighty%20Oz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Politics, politics, POLITICS. Everything is always political with these people. Can't step out your door without offending some Orlesian dignitary. Gaia was thrust into this world of hard-hitting journalism and terrifyingly boring political races, with Thedas hanging by a thread, and a mysterious figurehead monopolizing the media world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everybody Wants to Rule the World

**Author's Note:**

> HOKAY listen
> 
> I love writing "Done with your Shit" Inquisitor, especially when politics are involved.

"Herald of Andraste" they called her, as if she wasn't the most Dalish thing to walk out of the Free Marches. It was thrust upon her, being made chief editor of the Andrastian Gazette. Gaia was elected by a landslide by the writers and editors. Since being hired as a writer, she brought the paper back to life and increased sales by almost double.

She fumbled with the title, insisting on being called ANYTHING else. Anything other than a homage to a shem deity. It was vastly insulting to her, but she kept face for the readers. Their vote mattered most in the upcoming election of the next Divine, and if she were to have ANY hope in bettering lives for her people then she needed to smile and pretend she enjoyed the "praise". 

Gaia glided out of the library, juggling several books in one arm and clutching her phone to her ear with the other. She listened to some Orlesian representative prattle on about embargos and military funding, effortlessly zoning out and giving the proper vague responses when necessary. It's become second nature at this point. Barely listen to the 1% and their trifling complaints, shove a few miniscule articles about Orlesian politics and fashion in the middle, and then focus on the real problem.

"Are you even listening, Miss Lavellan? I'm sure you have more pressing matters to report on, but I can assure you that I would not waste your time." Gaia resisted the heavy urge to roll her eyes. As she manage to hail a taxi she assured Gaspard that yes she was listening (she was not), and no he wasn't wasting her time (he was), and when she placed her books in the floor of the vehicle and climbed inside she apologized for cutting the conversation short.

"Monsieur Gaspard, I promise you I will have an article by the end of the week. I will not leave the Empire waiting. Good day." She hit the end button before he had time to protest and huffed, spouting off the address to the driver and leaning back in the seat. She was definitely procrastinating dealing with Gaspard's requests, and she definitely would NOT have an article by the end of the week as she could not find a damn soul in the office that could give a shit about Orlesian militia taxes of all things. All her energy was put into trying to cover who will be the new Divine and the upcoming Gala. A spat between the empress, her lover, and her cousin was the least of her concerns.

Besides the whole election business there were several articles on elven property and relations she needed to publish, along with several mage rights events to cover. The weight of the job pressed itself further on her shoulders. She was deeply grateful she did not have to do the job alone. Josephine, her co-editor, took part of the burden while Leliana handled part of the insider research. Cullen took care of most legal things, and her best writers helped her wrangle the world news as it bucked under the recovery from a manic tyrant.

As the car pulled up to the front of the office, Gaia gathered her books and tossed several coin at the driver, not bothering to get her change. Paying him extra for dealing with her continual exasperated groaning was the least she could do. Her heels echoed loudly on the marble floor of the entryway. All heads turned her way immediately. Harding, Gaia's assistant, immediately appeared from the sky like a guardian angel and scooped the books from her hands.

"Sleep well?" Gaia have a short grunt at her almost sickening cheer and Harding laughed.

She walked with Gaia as she informed her of the morning's developments. Her head gradually began to pound a little more with each passing word. Eventually she finished as they climbed the floors in the elevator. When she finally hit the third floor, Gaia stopped the elevator and stepped out.

"Put those books on my desk, Lace, I need to have a word with Vivienne." Gaia said.

"When you're done, Josie needs you in the meeting room. Didn't sound fun." Its never fun in the meeting room. She nodded and turned and made a beeline around the desks as Harding walked the opposite direction. As she passed one of her head writers' office, he gave a low whistle.

"Someone heard about Calpernia." Varric said with abandon, looking up from his papers at the doorway as Gaia passed. She paused and sighed, leaning against the doorway.

Calpernia, one of the rival news (tabloid) reporters, had been dragging the credibility of the paper for months with little bias to go on. She used to work for a Tevinter politician, but that is all anyone knows about her, other than the fact that she's a Take-No-Shit-But-Dish-Out-Tons-Of-It type of person. Her latest piece called Gaia everything but white in attempt to discredit her new position.

"If she wants to sit in the sandbox and pretend she's queen then let her. I have an actual paper to run." Gaia said, smiling when Varric guffawed and continued to write out his fiction piece. She passed Cassandra and Dorian, writers on religion and mage issues respectively, and ended straight at Vivienne's desk.

Neat. Excruciatingly neat. So neat in fact you'd think nobody sat at that desk. If it weren't for Viv sitting there at that moment with her laptop open Gaia would have assumed she skipped town. It bothered Gaia how neat Vivienne was, and she had no idea why. The elegant woman looked up through her readers at Gaia and smiled politely, her accent curling around her tongue.

"Let me guess. Gaspard again?" She said, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. Of course she knew, Gaspard calls two people, first his assistant to get Viv, and then Gaia. He's persistent in the most annoying way possible. It's almost as if he WANTS to be suspiciously found naked and floating face down in the Drakkon River.

"He's not going to stop until he gets his piece on either Briala's sylvanwood embargo or Celene's tax increase." Gaia sighed, looking down at her feet. Vivienne's were tucked neatly together under her chair, designer black patent shoes shined back at her as she considered things.

"Why don't I write four paragraphs altogether and stick it in with the piece on yesterday's silk bolt murder fiasco at the Orlesian Market."

"Perfect! And while we're at it we can stick on collar around my neck with the word's 'Gaspards Bitch' printed on the tag." Gaia scoffed. She wasn't going to give Gaspard the satisfaction of more than half an article. The murder piece was at least four by itself. "One paragraph on the embargo, one on Celene, and keep the murder story. That needs to get covered more. Work on your Justinia piece instead, I need that before next week's issue."

Vivienne nodded, highly amused and crackling a demure smile. She began typing as Gaia walked away and back to the elevator. She opted for the stairs instead, seeing as there was only one more floor, and when she exited the stairwell she saw Leliana and Cullen in the meeting room next to her office. They were talking normally but there was an agitated voice also coming from the same room.

Two things popped into her mind: it was the druffalo man again, wondering why the piece he submitted on the mating habits of domesticated druffalo was not published for the fourth time in a row, or (and this was far less likely) it was a representative from Calpernia's paper coming to collect "dirt" on the writers and staff.

As Gaia entered the room she noticed a few things at once. Josephine was stone cold resisting the temptation to strangle someone, Cullen was drinking caffeinated coffee, and the former editor from about nine years ago was standing in the room. Leliana was very calm, relaxed almost. She had worked with the woman for a long time before she stepped down. Cullen, flustered wasn't the best term, nearly dropped his coffee when he went to take a sip. Josephine cleared her throat before speaking.

"Ms. Amell would like a word with you, Gaia. She has some troublesome news." Josephine said. Gaia could tell it was as with feigned calmness. She had known Josephine long enough to tell when something was really wrong. Cullen was downright dropping eveything in his hands except his coffee, nervous trembling taking over.

"It hasn't hit the press yet."Cullen let out between his teeth. Gaia was worried. What could agitate Cullen so much? No one else seemed to be bothered besides Josephine. Then again when you have a drunken one night stand one would assume things would be awkward. (Poor Cullen)

Hecate Amell cleared her throat and Gaia had to keep herself from doing the deer in headlights face. Hecate was intimidating. She was very regal, with long and wavy black hair like silk that was peppered with gray. Her eyes were sharp, almost a metallic gold, and smudged to perfection with whatever forty dollar eyeliner Sephora has to offer. She stood tall, back straight and arms tucked behind her back in a challenging manner. Everything about her seemed scary, it was no wonder she ran the paper for so long.

"As you know, Calpernia is making a mockery of not only herself, but us as well.” Hecate started, voice deep and direct. She didn't bullshit or dawdle and Gaia loved that. Short and simple was how she prefered to communicate.  Gaia slipped the coffee out of Cullen's hands, mostly to prevent him from dropping (throwing) it, and took a sip. 

She explained that Calpernia had the brass to actually come to her for dirt, as if she was running low. Hecate wouldn’t give her spare change, let alone whatever secrets Calpernia thinks are hidden within the walls of the building. While she tried to dig around, she published several articles that tried to tarnish the Fereldan politicians, including King Alistar and Hecate herself. "A jester in a crown and his mage whore" she had said.

Gaia sighed, handing the coffee back to Cullen who stared at the lipstick now straining the rim.

“She was absorbed by the Black Network, too. Along with Samson’s that makes two media outlets under Corypheus.” Cullen said softly, rubbing the back of his neck. Gaia rubbed her face and looked to the ceiling, searching the plaster tiles for a solution. Everything was happening really fast and so close to the Gala too. This wasn’t a coincidence.

They had to shake Calpernia first. She was aggressive and smart, capable of bringing down entire legacies of businesses with a single story if she actually had the evidence to back it up. Gaia would consider having her on her team, if she hadn’t been trying to sabotage her name. Samson was a docile man, not actively seeking to tarnish reputations so much as trying to better his own business.

Gaia thought back to the time when she actually dealt with Samson face to face. It was just after being hired on as a writer for the Gazette. She formulated a story about Corypheus buying out an entire news outlet, bribing others to get stories first. She would not leave his office until she at least got a quote from him on the matter.

He had been irritated to say the least, practically growling at Gaia when she sat on his desk on top of all his papers. It amused her to no end, however. She enjoyed riling people, especially when it was to get answers. It was practically her specialty when she was just a writer instead of an editor.

"Since I am an elected official now, I'm pressed for time. I can set meetings with my colleagues at Weissaupt and phone them in the meantime. Give them a warning and tell them not to talk to the people of the Black Network. That's the most I can do for you at this point."  Amell said after a moment. She was right. Basically she was the closest thing Fereldan had to an actual hero, and to get the Hero of Fereldan's time you had to either already know her or be on one of two lists; her to do list, or her hit list.

"Okay. Hecate, you contact your colleagues and have them keep an ear to the ground. Cullen, get a lawyer in the office, I'd like to discuss certain legal agreements. Leliana, I need you to find out who Calpernia's agents are and how they run, if she has any. Josie, can you handle the rest of this week's edition while I try to find out more about Corypheus and his business?" Josephine nodded, and the others followed suit.

Hecate dismissed herself, giving a rather subtle smirk to Cullen as she floated out of the room. He drowned himself with the rest of his coffee. Leliana chuckled and chided him playfully. As the two bickered, Josephine came around the table and followed Gaia to her office.

"I am reminding you that the interns will be coming in tomorrow." Gaia stopped dead in her doorway and spun around to face Josephine, looking utterly befuddled.

"Interns?"


	2. The Red Knight Daily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t pretend to know. None of you have any idea of the things he's done for my company.” Gaia opened her mouth to object but he held a finger in front of her face to stop her. “Until you're nearly bankrupt with no other option, without anyone to save you, THEN you may speak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters are slow coming but are indeed being made. Stay tuned!

"Interns?"

There was no way it was already intern season. They  _ just  _ sent out new requisitions. Josephine showed Gaia a small stack of papers. Resumes.

"Yes, from the high school. They're set for college classes in the fall. Have we decided who they will shadow?" Gaia gave a short laugh and sat down at her desk, wiggling her mouse to wake her computer up.

“Honestly, Josephine, I thought you would have suggestions,” Gaia teased as Josephine walked over to her side and set the papers down on top of her Gala invitation. Josie tapped the bottom of one paper where a sticky note was placed and winked, fluttering out of the office and into her own. Gaia pulled the first resume.

Cole, young and  _ very _ into volunteer work. Gaia bypassed the three page long list of recommendations from his peers and went straight to the references. Two of his teachers, both of whom she has met, and one very flamboyantly generic name she did not recognize. His experience in actual journalism: none. His experience as a coffee boy: plenty.

Sera’s resume was an absolute nightmare to read. No recommendations, no references, very little volunteer work, and the only extra curricular was (get this) archery. ARCHERY. Gaia looked down at the paper (Singular. One paper) in her hands, baffled beyond belief. Why in the Maker’s name would this girl want to be an intern at a newspaper?

Cremisius’ was a huge relief to read. Glowing recommendations from several faculty members both from the high school and the university. Apparently he had been doing dual enrollment until he graduated. He’s the oldest of the two, actually being a college sophomore instead of a freshman. Not much volunteer work but plenty of extracurriculars, and blessed Creators he actually has experience in journalism.

Josephine's suggestions for who they should shadow were both helpful and hilarious. For Sera she put down either Varric, Cassandra, or Vivienne. The thought pulled a small chuckle from her lips. Cole and Cremisius had the same suggestions; Varric, Dorian, or Vivienne.

As Gaia mulled it over she began to work on other things. She read through the final piece Viv had just sent her and attached it to the final copy of the paper, putting it right between a piece on tax debates and who won the mayoral election for some podunk town out west.

About three articles and four hundred emails later, she found a request for an interview from someone she didn’t know. She filed that to look at later when Cullen graced her doorstep. She looked up at him, typing her reply to one of Gaspard’s assistants blindly.

“Yes, Cullen?” Gaia asked, giving the reply a once over before sending it.

“I’d like to talk about Samson, if you don’t mind.” Cullen said, almost too quiet. Gaia threw him a confused look and waved him in. Cullen shut the door behind him and walked around her desk, pulling a chair with him. When he sat down next to her, he looked concerned and angry all at once.

“He’s gotten worse. I saw him at the Graves last night,” Cullen started. Samson was nothing if he wasn’t leading a crowd of rowdy frat boys to their demise. The Graves, a bar and club, was almost like a playground to him. He brings his workers there a few nights a week to let loose. ‘Letting out stress’ he had told her, eyeing her thighs peeking out from her skirt when she boldly sat on his desk.

“Worse how?” Gaia asked, turning her chair to face Cullen. Recently Samson has gotten more volatile. Drinking more, being more aggressive. Ever since his company was bought out, as if it SOMEHOW had something to do with it.

Cullen told her everything he saw that night. Samson sticking to the VIP room instead of milling the floor with his colleagues, practically drowning himself in Vint (gross), and Cullen has a suspicion there might be drugs involved.

The thought made Gaia's head hurt more, and she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temple. What if Corypheus was using his business to cover a drug ring? It wouldn't be the first time this has happened. It happened in Kirkwall a few years ago, though no one knew who started it.

The occurance saw the corruption of the police force and actually killed the chief of police. Cullen had been working for them at the time and said it was almost the most brutal thing he had seen as a cop. Though when investigators started turning over stones they just found empty warehouses and dead bodies. Lots of them.

"I'll see if he'll talk. He's due for a friendly visit anyway." Gaia said, pushing off her chair and standing up.

"Friendly interrogation is more like it," Cullen added, standing up as well. Gaia swatted him away, gathering a few things and putting them in her purse; small notebook, a couple pens, a small audio recorder, and her phone. She followed Cullen out of the room, letting the door swing closed behind her.

Samson's office was in the heart of the city, practically engulfed by the larger buildings. The cab dropped her off almost five blocks away, the traffic making Gaia impatient. Going on foot proved to be far quicker than waiting for the road to clear. Some car accident or an old lady going thirty under the speed limit.

Gaia pushed through the front door, the tinted glass reflecting back at her. She eyed her flowing skirt, knee length and nearly translucent. Gaia wondered vaguely if she should have put on shorts underneath and walked into the foyer. The secretary looked up at her with a start, as if he wasn't paying attention. He put his call on hold, stumbling over his words.

"I just need to see Samson. Is he in?" Gaia asked as she got to the desk.

"He's not taking appointments right now, miss. You'll need to ca-"

"Yeah no. Call him and tell him I'm coming up." That'll give him time to hide whatever he's doing. Gaia ignored the man's protests and strode to the elevator. She stuck her hand in her purse, turning on the audio recorder.

Samson's building had more levels, more offices. It took far longer than she would have liked to climb all the way to the top. When the doors slid open, straight to Samson's office, he immediately met her gaze from across the room. His office was dim, a couple of fake plants and dark wood shelves dotted the room which was otherwise sparsely furnished, just a desk and Samson's chair.

Paler. Eyes more hollow. Hair slightly thinner. Gaia catalogued these changed as she stepped into the room, eyes flitting around the room as she smirked. Samson shot an irritated look at her as he slammed a drawer shut, groaning as he did.

"You could call," He said with a huff of air. Gaia chuckled, setting her purse down his desk.

“And miss you scrambling to clean up whatever mess you have?” Gaia said, eyeing the red dust on his desk. Samson shifted some papers, an invitation, to cover it and eyed her.

“I imagine the things you’ve heard,” He started, standing finally and folding his arms behind his back. He almost towered over her, and it didn’t help that she was an elf. Most people did tower over her. He tried to make himself larger, more intimidating, but she had too much confidence to be swayed. “Come to get another story?”

With the desk between them, she placed her hands on the surface, leaning over to speak at a lower volume.

“As far as Calpernia is concerned there’s no story to be had. I’m not here, and neither are you.” Gaia hinted heavily. She knew Samson wanted nothing to do with Calpernia, why else would he have his secretary try and lie. “I’m assuming the secretary is new?”

“How could you tell? Was it the visible shaking or the wilting flower demeanor?” Samson chuckled and strode around the desk, Gaia turning to follow his movement. “You are here for a reason, however.”

Gaia chuckled, he now stood between her and the door, caging her in almost. He always wanted to be in control, especially with her. Gaia knew she drove Samson up the wall and back down, in more ways than one. She couldn’t help that it was too much fun teasing him. Gaia studied his face now, cataloging the minor changes. In the dim light of his office, she could see the slight yellow tinge of his skin up close. A strike of concern filled her stomach, and then filled with fear as she noticed the telltale faint glow of lyrium in his eyes.

She swallowed, looking down at his tie.

“Cullen expresses his concern.” She started. Samson tisked and crossed his arms, looked annoyed. “We all do. We know Corypheus has you on a tight leash, and it's obvious the stress is getting to you.”

Samson was not having any of that nonsense. He stepped closer to her, glowering down, having nearly a foot over Gaia. She met his gaze with just as much defiance as he scoffed.

“Don’t pretend to know. None of you have any idea of the things he's done for my company.” Gaia opened her mouth to object but he held a finger in front of her face to stop her. “Until you're nearly bankrupt with no other option, without anyone to save you,  _ then _ you may speak.”

Gaia felt the stab of annoyance in her chest, she didn't enjoy being talked down to, maybe that's why she didn't turn down her current role. As Samson glared down at her, she stepped closer to him, crossing her arms and mimicking his pose. Their chests nearly touched and her face was now mere inches from his.

“I didn't see you ask anyone else for help. Why turn to him?” Her voice was low and dangerous, yet underneath her anger she still felt sorrow for Samson. They were losing an old ally. An old friend.

“He was the only one that could save me.”

  
  



	3. Coffee Stains

_ His hands were shaking, Gaia realized. They wrapped around her forearms, pressing her closer to him. Samson’s lips ghosted over hers, not touching hers intentionally. He whispered something, desperately, making her shiver under his touch. _

“The margins are too wide, I think.”

_ His palm rests on her lower back, pressing her closer and closer. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. She meekly tried to push him away. She didn’t want this right now. _

“The margins are fine, short-round.”

_ He pulled back to look at her, eyes still holding that sinful red glint.  _

_ It's from the lyrium, she tells herself. He slides his hands from her hips, stepping back. He never pushed back, never pursued further. _

“There’s not enough space between the chancelor piece and yours.”

_ Except regular lyrium doesn’t turn your eyes red. _

“Hang on.” Suddenly there was a hand in front of Gaia’s face and she snapped back to reality. “Thedas to Gaia, focus. We need to fix the layout.”

Gaia looked down at her laptop. Everything was wrong. There was too much empty space they needed to fill and not enough information. Everything that needed to be said had already been typed and formatted, and with Calpernia hogging half the news it was hard to write something new when one has to basically tiptoe around her. 

Harding and Gaia wrote the entire local news section and Varric’s stories cover two pages. Viv’s foreign affairs section is a solid two, and Dorian just pushed out an entire page on the mage rebellions in Kirkwall. Cassandra was just now finishing her Religious Affairs section, and yet they still had another page to fill, and the deadline was in two days.

With Solas on vacation, the gap to fill was easy to find, but hard to figure out what to fill it with. Normally things would run quite smoothly (with a lot of screaming), but something was just wrong.

Gaia groaned and pushed away from the table, standing up she explained she was going to the break room. Varric gave her a sympathetic look and nodded, Harding just groaned and placed her head in her hands.

As she made a beeline for the coffee, her head began to ache. The Herald Gazette was a paper of liberal arts. Activism, fiction, and opinion pieces. The only section that was missing was a section no one dared to write themselves; Elven Affairs. 

Solas staked a claim long ago and refused to budge when Gaia offered to write for it. He had insisted he was more knowledgeable on the subject, promptly insulting her heritage and intelligence in one fell swoop (shocking).

So now, grasping at straws, Gaia was considering just filling a page with extra ads and publishing the damn thing, but Calpernia would have a field day with it. Cutting the paper from it's usual ten pages because of her would only make her think she has control now.  

The coffee steamed up her reading glasses as she poured about three cups of sugar in her mug and stirred. People entered behind her but she was not paying attention, choosing instead to savor the smell of the brew. She poured a little bit of creamer in and tossed the spoon in the mini trash can on the counter.

Gaia turned and-

Ran into a wall?

The coffee in her hand spilled over her and the person she bumped into. The heat burned her skin and she swore loudly (charming). The mug shattered on the ground, further making a mess of things. Gaia looked up at the offending obstruction and froze for a split second.

Handsome, the first word in her mind. Ridiculously so. They were speaking some sort of apology and taking off their ruined jacket. Gaia finally snapped back to reality, trying to ignore the person’s lean muscles. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just-”

“No no, I got it,” They said and kneeled down in front of her (oh dear), picking up the pieces of the broken mug. Gaia turned and grabbed the paper towels, wiping herself down and taking off her glasses before tearing off several sheets for the floor. 

“Lovely introduction, Miss Lavellan,” she heard Josie say. She looked past the person in front of her and saw Josephine standing with two others, a small blonde elf and a taller pale boy with sad eyes. 

Oh, Creators, these are the interns. 

“Well, you know, a day without breaking something here doesn’t exist.” Gaia said, trying to diffuse the situation and handing the roll to the other person once they tossed the broken mug in the trash. They chuckled and Gaia looked up at them, making brief eye contact before they wiped the coffee from their shirt.

“Ah yes. This is our Chief Editor Gaia Lavellan. She is the head of the paper and for all intents and purposes your boss.” Gaia groaned internally as she put several paper towels over the puddle on the floor. She’s made a fool of herself in front of the new interns, who will likely be staying for a good long while. “Gaia this is Cole, Sera, and Cremisius.”

“Krem, please. Much simpler.” They said, tossing a wad of paper towels into the trash. 

Gaia greeted them all, shaking their hands and welcoming them to the paper. Krem had their jacket hung over their arm, small drips of coffee escaping every other moment. She felt horrible, the jacket looked new and on the expensive side. Gaia couldn't forgive herself if it was ruined.

"Please let me take that to the dry cleaners, I'm so sorry," Gaia offered, holding out her hand to take it. Josie motioned for the others to follow her out of the room so they could get their assignments as Krem laughed, handing the jacket to her.

"Well if you insist, and don't worry too much about it. Wonderful first impression," They winked (holy shit) at Gaia before following after Josephine and the others.

Gaia grabbed a plastic bag from one of the cabinets and stuffed the jacket inside before looking down at herself. The coffee had mostly gotten on her shirt, but there were little splashes on her pants too.

Wonderful, she thought to herself. She headed to her office and shut the door and the blinds, blocking the rest of the office from view. She set the bag down upon her desk and started unbuttoning her shirt.

She discarded it into the bag with the jacket and went to the small storage room in her office. She usually kept a spare set of clothes in there for emergencies, especially after the Great Snowball Fight of last year. 

She shivered as she remembered suffering from absolutely fatal cold and wet socks and pants for the rest of that day. She promptly took revenge on Dorian the following week by rigging glitter to explode outwards when he opened his desk drawer. Varric called him Sparkles for a month.

Gaia pulled on the simple dress, stuffed the pants in the already full bag, and grabbed her jacket from her chair. Once she stepped out of her office, Cullen was actually standing outside. He was awkwardly shuffling some papers in his hands, stressed from yesterday's events and today's scramble to get the paper finished. 

"The new interns have been assigned their places. Josie has them writing a piece each to fill the empty spaces," Cullen said as he walked along with her to the stairs. Gaia breathed a small sigh of relief but paused. 

"Are you certain we can trust them to do something like that?" Gaia asked, concern filling her voice. Cullen assured her before going to his own desk, answering a call. Gaia continued to the stairs, stopping on the next floor down to see where the new interns were placed. 

On a relatively small desk next to Varric's office was Cole. He was already typing away on a small laptop he had brought with him, face so extremely close to the screen that it made her concerned for his eyesight.  Sera was floating around Cassandra's desk surprisingly, Cass was reading out a list of things and Sera looked like she was barely listening.

Krem, finally, was standing over Dorian's desk. Neither of them said anything to each other from what Gaia could tell. Dorian had his arms crossed over his chest and was leaning back in his chair while Krem stood on the opposite side of the desk with their hands tucked into their pockets. Their back was to Gaia, so she couldn't see their face. 

She descended the rest of the stairs then, Dorian finally uncrossing his arms and handing Krem a piece of paper. 

The small journey to the dry cleaners was relatively fast, public transport considered. As she stepped off the bus she wrapped her jacket around her a little more closely, the afternoon warmth finally gave way to a chill that bit at her skin. 

The dry cleaner was just around the block, but something caught her eye in the corner shop ahead of her. She caught a glimpse of a deep red peacoat and paused a few feet from the door.

Calpernia.

As if she had been waiting for her, Calpernia looked out of the window immediately when Gaia paused, said something to the man behind the counter and walked away. She held eye contact with Gaia as she walked to the door, slipping her delicate hands into her pockets. Her heels echoed on the concrete, turning heads in their direction. Her eyes pierced through her, and if Gaia was any less than what she was she might have been intimidated. Afraid even.

Make no mistake, regardless of the nature of her business, Calpernia was not one to mess with without knowing the consequences. And Gaia knew them well. 

In the height of her last career, she and her former manager once turned the entire templar force against the city of Kirkwall in an effort to destroy it. Apparently it was “full of sin” and “needed cleansing”. Though the effort failed there were many rebellions, mainly focused against the mages.

"Hello, Lavellan. Such a small city we live in." Calpernia spoke as she stopped in front of her, a slight smile tugged at her painted lips.

"No city would be big enough, Calpernia," Gaia said, not returning her smile. Calpernia chuckled, her bright eyes narrowing slightly.

"I heard Hecate had a few words with you. How is she?" Calpernia asked. A pang of annoyance hit Gaia like a slap to the face. The audacity it took to say that must be plentiful. 

"What happens in my office is frankly none of your business, Calpernia. If you'll excuse me." Gaia said as calmly as she could manage, her voice dripping with venom. She walked around the woman and rounded the corner, ignoring her smug stare.

"Although things that happen in Samson's office are." 

Gaia froze. There was no way, no possible way she could have-

"Or do you think I'm not always keeping an eye on my partners? " She finished. Gaia turned slowly, shoving her fists in her pockets. Calpernia resembled a cat almost. So cocky and satisfied, as if she had just caught the bird from the cage. 

So many retorts went through her mind at that moment. So many things that she could say that would make her feel better and could possibly piss Calpernia off to no end. But nothing of the sort came out. 

She stood there, fuming but still patient, starring Calpernia down. If she wanted to spread rumors she definitely could, but her partner sleeping with the enemy would not be good for business. Gaia knew she would keep that under wraps as long as possible.  Imagine that getting back to Corypheus.

"Samson is and always was a friend. No amount of blackmail will change that." And with that, Gaia turned and left Calpernia behind. She was done with Gaia. 

For now at least.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took a lot longer than intended. Life gets in the way sometimes. Krem is now officially here! More interaction to come


	4. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaia wondered heavily what Calpernia was trying to play at. 
> 
> She knows that Calpernia is a smart woman, and should she actually do her research, could make compelling stories. 
> 
> However, with the direction the recent articles have been heading, not only with criticizing the gazette but also the entire city of New Haven along with Ferelden, Gaia cannot help but think that Calpernia might be doing this on purpose.

Getting from the dry cleaners back to the office didn't take long. When she exited the elevator to the writing floor, Harding was already there, clipboard in hand. Before she even stepped into the room Harding began talking.

“The Gala is in two weeks. Have you decided your plus one?” She asked, turning to follow Gaia as she walked back to the break room.

The 10th Anniversary Fereldan Inaugural Charity Gala. Ever since King Alistair took the throne, he put on a charity ball every single year to raise money for victims of the last Blight, and other charities as well (along with trying to set Alastair up with a wife, by Teagan’s command). Very few reporters were invited. Gaia, Cullen, and Leliana received their invitations promptly three weeks ago. Cullen and Leliana decided to arrive together to save time on trying to find dates, both of them not having the time nor patience respectively for dating.

That left Gaia alone.

“I still have not. I would have dragged Solas along had he not conveniently gone out of town,” She replied as they walked. Gaia gave a cursory glance over her writers, the new interns were now sat around one table and typing.  As she passed, Krem looked up.

They said something to Cole and Sera and got up, heading towards Gaia and Harding as they walked.

“We’ve all decided to write pieces on the upcoming Charity Gala. We wanted to run that by you to make sure you’re okay with that,” Krem said as they turned into the break room. Gaia smiled and grabbed a water from the fridge.

“That’s an excellent idea, Krem. Normally we don’t write about the Gala until the next issue, but this one is sort of a special event. Ten years running, and all.” Gaia said and took a swig of her water. Krem smiled (oh creators, did her heart just skip?), and shifted their hands into their pockets.

“Right. We’ve been doing research online, and through Leliana. Anyone else we should talk to?” They asked. Gaia thought for a moment. Not many people in the office besides Leliana has been to multiple Gala events. At least half the office has been once, but that’s not enough experience with the crowd to have a good understanding of how it operates.

Vivienne would definitely be her first choice, as she’s been to at least seven. Varric as well, although he’s only been to three. Cullen himself has been to a handful as well, although when he was in Kirkwall he was often too busy to come.

Gaia herself has not been to one. She has wanted to in the past, but she could never acquire an invitation. This would be her first year, and she couldn’t tell if she was excited or downright reluctant.

“Talk to Vivienne, she can give you extra information. Her and Leliana are both Orlesian so it’s basically their specialty. Varric has gone to a few as well, he’s very observant, but also likes to tell stories. Take everything that sounds grandiose with a grain of salt.” Gaia explained. Krem gave a small chuckle at that.

They dismissed themselves from the room, leaving Harding and Gaia to themselves. Harding gave her a knowing look from under her lashes. Gaia glared suspiciously at her, taking another sip of her water.

“Yes, Lace?” She finally said, putting the cap back on the bottle. Harding started giggling before she spoke.

“Got a thing for the new intern, Lavellan?”

-

"Asteria has her own plan as well, but she will not be back in town for quite sometime.” Josephine spoke quickly, going over the email that was sent to her.

Gaia, Leliana, and Cullen were placed around her at the meeting table. After yesterday’s events, all four were on edge. They grew increasingly worried, with Samson taking a nosedive, Calpernia wreaking havoc, and the ever faceless Coryepheus starting to buy out companies by the bundle, the Andrastian Gazette crew gradually become more and more nervous.

Gaia nearly begged Varric to email his old friend. Asteria Hawke had dealt with someone like that before hand. Her company had often battled against another, both legally and on the streets. Kirkwall had essentially become an isolated battle ground after the Blight. Everything had been teetering back and forth, always dangerously close to toppling into oblivion, until one day they entire city went up in smoke.

The people who made it out were lucky to even have their possessions, let alone their own skin.

“I don’t want to know where she is, I just want to know what she planning to do. Calpernia might very well be barking at her door as well.” Gaia said, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. The office was becoming a little warmer than she’d like.

Nobody in that room would think that Calpernia hadn’t already tried to make contact with Hawke. Whether in an effort to get Hawke to join the Black Network, or to get more information out of former Kirkwall inhabitants. Gaia had a copy of Imperium Weekly in front of her. Calpernia stationed herself in New Haven to write about Ferelden affairs for her magazine back in Tevinter.

Now in bolded letters, screaming up at her with skilled audacity and barely hidden contempt:

**HERALD IN SHAMBLES**

The entire main article was about the supposed corruption of the Andrastian Gazette. How the former chief editor stepped down because of a “true” scandal, and why Gaia, a dalish elf of all things, would take her place. The article mostly insinuated that the gazette was untrustworthy and not a credible source of news, because of just how plain awful the staff is apparently.

Gaia wondered heavily what Calpernia was trying to play at. She knows that Calpernia is a smart woman, and should she actually do her research, could make compelling stories. However, with the direction the recent articles have been heading, not only with criticizing the gazette but also the entire city of New Haven along with Ferelden, Gaia cannot help but think that Calpernia might be doing this on purpose.

The skill level of her writing is phenomenal, and seems way more skilled than just any tabloid writer. The layout is aesthetically pleasing and the article does not drone on about one single subject matter. It flows nicely, and if it were actually true, Gaia might just think about quitting. Calpernia is intimidating, and now it seems like she’s not just throwing sand anymore.

Maybe, just maybe, Calpernia is trying to trick them.

“Asteria may very well be coming to the ball. King Alistair has worked with her in the past. Perhaps we may be able to catch her?” Leliana offered, fingers circling the rim of her mug. The liquid inside has long since turned lukewarm, forgotten in the stress of the previous few days.

They had just published the week’s paper, with the new pieces from the interns. All of them had done surprisingly well, considering two of them never seemed to have journalistic experience. With the publish came Calpernia’s backhand. The Andrastian Gazette publishes on Friday, and Imperium Weekly follows up on Sunday, usually with far more news and scandals.

“I wouldn’t want to bombard her. Perhaps you could talk to her? Or Cullen?” Gaia looked at the two. She had never been very successful when trying to hold a conversation with Hawke. The woman was always very busy and had little time to even breathe properly. Going through someone she already knew well enough might just give them enough leverage to steal some time with her.

“I will be more than happy to. Cullen had his fill of Hawke back in Kirkwall. Wouldn’t want to subject him to that kind of torture again,” Leliana said with a slight smile growing on her delicate lips. Cullen scoffed and rolled his eyes.

The four finished their meeting, Leliana and Josephine pushed their chairs in and they left, Cullen following closely behind. Gaia stayed in the room, gripping onto her empty mug. She still stared down at the Imperium Weekly, trying to absorb it’s so-called knowledge from just looking at the cover. She was having very little luck.

As she stood and gathered her papers, she heard a gentle knock on the door. She turned and saw Krem standing in the doorway. They were wearing the jacket she had spilled coffee on, but it now looked clean and new. They wore a complimentary t-shirt and dark pants, and that told her that they at least have some sense of fashion. Cremisius looked very sharp with their sense of style.

“Hey, boss,” They began. Gaia chuckled lightly at their use of ‘boss’, but let them finish. “I had heard that you were invited to the charity gala. Is that right?”

Gaia nodded, asking them why they wanted to know.

“I was hoping to do more coverage of the event. I personally haven’t been affected by the last Blight, but I know a great many who have been. This gala is really important to me.” Krem finished and leaned against the doorway.

Gaia thought for a moment. The piece they wrote for last week’s paper was excellent. It was actually the best out of the three. Krem had great potential, and Gaia saw it clearly. They needed this opportunity as well, not only for college credit, but for experience.

“My invitation includes an extra guest. Would you like to accompany Cullen, Leliana, and I to Denerim for the gala?” Gaia asked, leaning back against the table. Krem cracked a wide smile, their eyes lit up faintly.

“Really? I would love that!” They said, excitement leaking into their voice. Gaia smiled back at them, heart fluttering a tiny bit.

She started to step forward and tucked the papers she held under her arm. Before she could make a full step, however, her foot caught under the chair Cullen forgot to push back in. She careened forward, heading face first into the ground. Gaia thought vaguely on how they replaced the carpet with hardwood as time seemed to slow down slightly.

Krem lunged forward and caught her, wrapping their arms around her waist and shoulders. The papers under her arm spilled over the floor beside them. They both were on their knees now, the force of Gaia’s fall bringing them both down. Gaia looked up at them, their faces now closer than they should be.

“You’re really klutzy.”


	5. Are you still there?

Solas was excited to find 150 new emails in his inbox, papers all over his desk, and a small empty box on top of his keyboard. Oh yes, he loved coming back to clutter. So much so, in fact, that he grabbed the trash bin from under his desk, and swept everything into it.

 _Gone for two weeks and everyone decides that your desk is free range._ He thought to himself as he settled into his chair. He was one of the first ones to the office this morning, following behind Cullen and Leliana. They had greeted him when he walked out of the elevator, both of them hovering over the coffee maker in the break room. Leliana walked to his desk, smiling softly as she watched him.

“Have a good vacation, Solas?” Leliana asked, holding the mug with both of her hands, leeching the warmth from inside.

“It was relaxing, though now I am regretting not casting a protection ring around my desk,” Solas said, grabbing a couple papers he missed and tossing them into the bin as his computer finished loading his inbox. The papers seemed to be mostly reports and feedback from readers, all of which Gaia would have digital copies of.

“My apologies. I believe someone mentioned the word ‘payback’ earlier this week?” Leliana said with a sly grin and retreated back to the break room. Solas sighed quietly.

Of course, Gaia would want some form of revenge for him taking off very suddenly. Purely out of spite she must of printed all of these reports and scattered them about. Considering how close the Gala is and how much he’s heard from other about Calpernia recently, Solas was not surprised that Gaia would be a tad (extremely) irritated with him.

As the rest of the office began to trickle in slowly, greeting Solas as they passed, he began sifting through his emails. A large number were from Gaia, but nothing that would be considered part of the “revenge”. They contained articles, either from online sources or hastily scanned or snapped from tangible issues. Most of them appeared to be by the same person, Calpernia. A few were by similar writers who support the Imperium Weekly in it’s attempt to smear the names of reputable businesses.

Of course, there were a couple of weekly office updates, as he skimmed one he noticed unfamiliar faces in the background behind his monitor. He paused, glancing up and seeing three young adults, walking to the tables outside of Varric’s office. Solas recognized exactly none of them and wondered deeply who these people were. Before he could even look over and ask Cassandra, Gaia herself seemed to materialize out of nowhere and situate her head between him and Cassandra.

“Oh good, you’re back.” She started, smiling haughtily at him. “I need you in my office as soon as you can. Much to talk about.”

Gaia floated away as quickly as she appeared, briskly taking the stairs and waving to the younger fellows at the table. He turned back to Cassandra, pausing to look at her slightly smirking face before he asked who they were.

“They are the new interns, Cole, Sera, and Krem. They came just a couple days after you went on vacation.” Cassandra explained as she typed something into her article. Solas thought for a moment.

Was it really already time for new interns. He had dismissed a couple of them not even three months ago it seems, and already there are new ones. He gave credit to the local university for having a rigorous journalism major. Acquiring new interns right before the Gala was coincidental at the least. It was more than likely done intentionally by Josephine.

After Solas finished sweeping through his emails, he stood and made his way up to Gaia’s office. He somehow felt a pang of mild anxiety hit as he began to walk up the stairs. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if something bad was going to happen when he reached her office.

-

Gaia stepped into her office, thanking Harding as she sat down. Harding bowed her head and disappeared behind the doorframe. As Gaia turned on her computer, she sifted through this week's intern submissions. They would fit nicely in with this weeks edition, but now she had to worry about overfilling. Eventually she would have to cut one of the pieces now that Solas was back. Surprisingly all of the interns had proven themselves to be quite skilled when it came to reporting, and Gaia was reluctant to cut any of the articles.

As she began piecing together the layout for this week's issue, she heard a small knock on her open door. She glanced up and saw Solas standing pensively in the doorway. She smiled and looked back down at her work.

“Come in, Solas,” She said to him. Solas stepped forward in a couple strides and seated himself in the chair next to her desk.  “Vacation treat you well?”

“Indeed, the Emerald Graves only become more beautiful each year.” Solas replied, crossing his legs. “Something you wish to discuss, Gaia?”

Gaia finished what she was typing and minimized everything. She didn’t want any distractions.

“You’re already aware of the Imperium Weekly, so I’ll skip that along with the new interns you’ve no doubt seen. The gala is in four days, and I leave the day after tomorrow. While Cullen, Leliana, and I are gone I need you, Cass and Varric to hold up the paper while we’re gone for the week,” Gaia explained, pulling out a stack of folders from a drawer in her desk.

“No doubt, I will strive to keep things under control while you are gone. How are the interns fairing?” Solas asked as Gaia handed him the stack. They all seemed to be reports, instructions for the gala week’s issue, the portfolios for the current interns.

Gaia told him of the interns, how she was surprisingly impressed with all of them. They must have had a strong english teacher. She paused after, giving Solas a moment to say anything. When he was silent she began again.

“One minor thing… Sera, the girl? I’m transferring her from Cassandra.” Gaia spoke, eyeing Solas and searching for a reaction. He looked up from the papers he was skimming, staring back at her. He swallowed quietly and waited for her to finish. “I’m transferring her to you.”

At first Solas didn’t react. He wasn’t sure if this was a punishment. He flipped to the girl’s portfolio and skimmed the articles she wrote so far. They were all decently put together and seemed to be well thought out, if a bit informal. He looked back up at Gaia, who had a cat-like grin on her face.

“There is a catch?” Solas asked. When Gaia only responded with widening her grin, he immediately got up and walked back to his desk. He supposed he’ll tell her a month in advance when he plans on vacationing next time.

Gaia chuckled as he left, turning back to her computer screen. She began to sort through her emails. She waded through tons of correspondence from her coworkers and article requests, replying quickly as she went. When she stumbled upon an odd subject title, she paused.

**_Are you still there, darling? I asked for an interview._ **

Gaia stared at the screen for a moment before it dawned on her. She had dismissed an email sent to her two and a half weeks ago, putting it aside to look at later. She opened the new one, reading carefully so she didn’t miss a single detail.

 

 _From: unkown [mailto:_ [ _a.t123@denerim.com_ ](mailto:a.t123@denerim.com) _]_

_Sent: Tuesday, March 3rd 9.41 9:49 AM_

_To: Gaia Lavellan < _ [ _g.lavellan@eluvian.net_ ](mailto:g.lavellan@eluvian.net) _ > _

 

_I suspect you didn’t read my first email. I tried to be covert about it. It’s Alistair, and we need to have a chat. Preferably before the gala if you can. If not I will see you there, no pressure. It’s only mildly time sensitive. You know where to call._

 - _ _A.T__

 

 

Gaia blinked, not really believing what she was reading. Was she really reading something Alistair sent? It was from a nondescript email address, probably why she forgot about it the first time, but was this really him? She hadn’t spoke to Alistair in many months. Both of them being so busy with their respective duties. They last time they actually saw each other happened a few years ago, during a very important national meeting about the events in Kirkwall. Although they barely had time to even speak to each other during the brief time Gaia was in Denerim. Knowing Alistair before he became king had some benefit, but very little in terms of keeping friendships alive.

She began typing a small reply, asking him something only Alistair would know.

 

 **From: Gaia Lavellan [mailto:** [ **g.lavellan@eluvian.net** ](mailto:g.lavellan@eluvian.net) **]**

**Sent: Tuesday, March 3rd 9.41 12:23 PM**

**To: unknown <** [ **a.t123@denerim.com** ](mailto:a.t123@denerim.com) **>**

 

**What color is my car?**

 

Gaia didn’t want to immediately fall for this trap, if it was a trap at all. Privacy had been breached more than once at the paper, and she’ll be damned if she’ll let it happen on her watch. As she waited for a reply, she shifted through a couple more emails before she caught her inbox number change out of the corner of her eye.

 

 _From: unknown [mailto:_ [ _a.t123@denerim.com_ ](mailto:a.t123@denerim.com) _]_

_Sent: Tuesday, March 3rd 9.41 12:39 PM_

_To: Gaia Lavellan < _ [ _g.lavellan@eluvian.net_ ](mailto:g.lavellan@eluvian.net) _ > _

 

_Trick question, you don’t have a car anymore. You wrecked a white honda civic in 9.39 before you moved into the city however._

_-A.T_

 

Gaia chuckled. He remembered that small detail about her. She replied to his email then, asking what he wanted to talk about when there was another knock on her door. She looked up as she hit send and smiled. Krem was standing in her doorway again. She tried to ignore the quick tingling in her body and greeted them.

“Something you need, Krem?” She asked, raising her brows slightly. They shuffled for a moment, looking a tad nervous, before speaking.

“I may need some help. I know we leave in two days, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to wear…” They trailed off, not looking at Gaia. She laughed quietly.

“Just a simple tuxedo would be fine. Do you have something of that nature?” Gaia said, minimizing her computer windows when she saw that Alistair had already emailed back. That can wait a moment.

“I, uh, I don’t actually. And I have no idea how to go about getting one.” Krem replied after a moment, slightly tumblring over their words. _How utterly adorable._ Gaia thought and pushed away slightly from her desk.

“Well, how about this. After the office closes today, we can go get you fitted. I’ll bring Vivienne so she can pressure the tailor to get it done before we leave.” Gaia offered, sizing them up. Adjustments from the default model size wouldn’t be that great.

“You’re too kind, boss. Are you sure?” Krem said. Gaia waved them off. It wasn’t too much trouble, and with Vivienne’s help it’ll get done in no time. Besides, there will be zero wardrobe malfunctions from her team at this gala. They will not be _that group_.

Gaia sent Krem back to their desk, and turned back to her email.

 

 _From: unknown [mailto:_ [ _a.t123@denerim.com_ ](mailto:a.t123@denerim.com) _]_

_Sent: Tuesday, March 3rd 9.41 12:56 PM_

_To: Gaia Lavellan < _ [ _g.lavellan@eluvian.net_ ](mailto:g.lavellan@eluvian.net) _ > _

 

_I have a proposition, though I need your full attention. As for the interview, well that was just a ruse. I’m desperate for attention._

_-A.T_

 

Gaia laughed softly.

 

 **From: Gaia Lavellan [mailto:** [ **g.lavellan@eluvian.net** ](mailto:g.lavellan@eluvian.net) **]**

**Sent: Tuesday, March 3rd 9.41 1:03 PM**

**To: unknown <** [ **a.t123@denerim.com** ](mailto:a.t123@denerim.com) **>**

 

**Maybe this should wait until the Gala. I have many preparations to make.**

 

 _From: unknown [mailto:_ [ _a.t123@denerim.com_ ](mailto:a.t123@denerim.com) _]_

_Sent: Tuesday, March 3rd 9.41 1:12 PM_

_To: Gaia Lavellan < _ [ _g.lavellan@eluvian.net_ ](mailto:g.lavellan@eluvian.net) _ > _

 

_See you soon._

_-A.T_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a longer chapter, and I fully blame myself for it getting a tad out of hand. So much to cover before the Gala! I promise more Krem interaction and get-to-know-you's in the next chapter. I feel like skipping ahead right here was important.


	6. AUTHORS NOTE

An apology, I've barely had time to breathe let alone write more chapters. I can promise you that chapter six is in the works, but with two jobs and going to school, finding time to write is a bit difficult, especially when one has social obligations as well.

 

Not to worry, I haven't forgotten about this story, and intend to continue. Thank you so much for your patience <3


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